A Restored Man

by Jaime Reese

  "Smartass," Cole mumbled under his breath, turning the paper and angling the sweeps of his hand. He wasn't sure if Jeff's show of support was for Robert's benefit or genuine, but he definitely hoped it was the latter.

  "Don't mind that jerk and what he says. He's the kind of guy who'll say anything."

  Cole stood and discarded the paper. He pulled off his mask and crossed his arms. "What he said, about me. It was the truth."

  Jeff walked over to him and slung his arm around Cole's shoulder. "So was the fact that I didn't give a shit. I knew something was up with you. No one knows that many shortcuts on taking engines apart."

  The old man had a point. Damn.

  "What matters to me is this," Jeff said, flattening his hand on Cole's chest, above his heart.

  "You feeling me up, old man?" Cole teased with little fight.

  Jeff grabbed the back of Cole's neck and pulled him closer. "You're a smartass, kid, but I'll put up with you. The way you are with Ty. The way he's changed because of you. That's what matters to me. No one's been able to get through to him…but you did. I don't care about your record. That just tells me your love for cars runs deep. Deeper than a healthy level, but still, your passion is there. I see it, I hear it, I can feel it when you're anywhere near anything car-related. And I see that same passion for Ty. Even though you guys are horrible at hiding it."

  Cole looked down at his boots, for once not wanting to say a word.

  "The team supports you as well. We all want you to stay and appreciate you bringing back the old Ty. They pushed me to come over here and talk to you even though I figured you'd want some space. Now get back to work." Jeff released the hold on Cole's neck and patted him on the back before leaving.

  Cole stood still and processed the older man's words. He had worked damn hard to try to not screw things up in the shop and to build a solid friendship with the guys. Even if he needed to work on rebuilding that, he was happy to hear it wasn't completely lost. He looked up when he heard footsteps approach.

  Aidan walked to the booth doorway and crossed his arms. "What are you thinking?"

  "Too many things right now."

  Aidan leaned against the doorway. "Give me the short list."

  Cole pulled off the thin protective sanding coveralls and held the bundle of material in his hand. "Aside from the Drayton prototype deal, I have this sick feeling he's after Ty. And I'm not just talking about the shop."

  Aidan cocked his head. "Why?"

  "He's insisting on the end of this month to steal the car, even after I mentioned next month. He said he wanted to do it before the formal announcement but that's bullshit. He hesitated. If that was his goal, there shouldn't have been a thought involved. But if I steal a car before my term is up at HH—"

  Aidan pursed his lips and finished Cole's thought. "Then it's likely you'd be sent back to prison and out of the picture much quicker than if you had to go through a regular arrest and sentencing. You want to risk losing your car?"

  "I don't care about the car, I care about Ty!" Cole threw the disposable coveralls in the bin and pounded his fists against the wall. He planted both hands on his waist and took a few deep breaths. He hated losing control. He hated Robert, what he was doing to Ty and, potentially, to them.

  "What did you say?"

  Cole looked up and blew out a deep breath. "What the fuck did I say wrong now?" He focused again on Aidan.

  "That was probably the smartest thing you've ever said."

  He tried to compose himself and contain the anger still thrumming through his body. "I want that asshole to pay, Aidan. For what he's done to Ty, and for trying to take him from me."

  "I'll make sure that happens," Aidan said with a hint of a smile in his eyes, although it didn't reach his lips. "He tried to play you, didn't he?"

  Cole smirked. "That's why I think he broadcasted my record to everyone, to piss me off and get me to act irrational. He must have picked up on how I feel about Ty. Apparently we suck at hiding it so that doesn't say much about his skills. But I'm sure he knew I was going to agree to steal the car because of that."

  "He just didn't count on you involving the law."

  Cole snorted a laugh. "Aidan, I hate to break it to you, but you walk a bended path. You're straight up legit, don't get me wrong, but you're twisted, man." He held up his hands and shook his head, unable to hide the smile that escaped. "Your flavor of justice is a little colored on the dark side."

  Aidan raised an eyebrow and straightened. What the hell was he going to say? Aidan was a lot of things but he wasn't a liar.

  Cole smiled smugly. "I figured if anyone can help take down that son of a bitch, it's you. So you're stuck with me."

  Aidan half chuckled. "You're not so bad and I know you're doing all this because of Ty. So you've built up some credit with me. Ty's gathering all the stuff on the counterfeit parts and I'm taking that with me. I need to make a few phone calls to find out just how much leeway I have on this and what charges I can nail him with. But I need a rough idea of what's going through your twisted mind."

  "So I've built up credit? That's good to know," Cole said.

  Aidan narrowed his eyes. "A very, very small amount of credit. Don't blow it," he said slowly in his warning tone.

  Cole chuckled. Aidan should know better than to give Cole any wiggle room to wreak havoc. They bounced around ideas of how best to approach the situation and what was needed. In less than ten minutes, Aidan walked away with a promise to call once he had spoken to a few of his contacts and had more details.

  He was glad Aidan was on his side on this one. For once in his life, he just wanted some peace and to tone things down a bit. He looked forward to the quiet time with Ty, without the constant chatter or the anxiety of looking over his shoulder. He was settling quite nicely into this new, calmer, legal life.

  Robert was trying to take that from him, and there was no way he was going to sit idly by and let that happen.

  Ty shifted in his seat again, waiting for Drayton's meeting to end. A little over a week after Robert's ultimatum and everything was set in motion. Only one critical element remained, which they now patiently waited to discuss with Drayton. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the high, white ceiling. Everything was either white or translucent with strategically placed chrome pieces to define corners of the room. The posters, awards, and art on the walls added splashes of color, breathing life into the space. He closed his eyes and a wave of ideas for new projects flooded his mind.

  He looked over to Aidan who sat stoic and silent across from them, staring down Cole. He glanced over and Cole was staring at Aidan just as intently. He blew out a frustrated breath. He was going to age a decade around these two. He reached out and threaded his fingers with Cole's, smiling when Cole's gaze instantly snapped in his direction. His heart raced when that million-watt smile gleamed at him. He'd never get tired of seeing that toothy grin.

  "You flinched," Aidan said with a smug smile.

  Ty sighed when Cole's laser focus snapped back to Aidan. "You would too if you got as much red hot monkey sex as I did, asshole."

  The heat instantly rose to Ty's face as Aidan grumbled a curse. Cole leaned over and planted a kiss on Ty's heated cheek. He pitched his voice low as he spoke so only Ty could hear. "You're hot when you're all red and flustered. I like knowing I do that to you."

  "Get a room," Aidan mumbled with a lowered brow.

  "I wish you two would get along," Ty said, his voice slightly thicker than usual.

  They both looked at Ty, equal scowls on their faces. "We do," Aidan and Cole said in unison.

  Ty shook his head. He figured as long as Aidan wasn't waving his gun around, things must be fine.

  A tall blonde woman approached them. "Drayton is ready to see you now," she said.

  They stood and followed the woman down a hallway to the end. Ty walked in and was instantly greeted with the natural sunlight filtering through the full-length windows wrapping around the huge corner
office. Drayton's desk was set up in the corner of the room, facing the doorway with his design work area to the left, out of sight unless you were physically inside the room. To the right of his desk, there was a sitting area with a few chairs and a table in between them. Just like the waiting area, the only splashes of color were the pictures on the wall. Rather than art or nostalgic automotive posters, his office showcased images of various exotic models in his upcoming car line. The furniture was sleek with translucent accents adding to the open, contemporary air of the space. It was new, high-end, and elegant, just like the cars he designed and sold.

  "Hey, Ty. This is a nice surprise. I'm usually the one who stops by for a visit," Drayton said.

  Ty extended his hand in greeting. "Yeah, I can't believe after all these years this is the first time I've ever been to your office."

  Drayton smiled and drew them into the office, leading them toward the sitting area.

  "This is my brother, Detective Aidan Calloway," Ty said with a warm smile.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you. Go ahead, have a seat." Drayton shook Aidan's hand in greeting. "And who's this?" he asked, gesturing toward Cole who still stood with his hands in his pockets looking at one of the exotic car drawings on the wall.

  Ty was ready to respond with 'he's the guy who did your custom two-tone paint' or 'he's the one who did the last minute custom change on your rig you still rave about.' Instead, he wasn't quick enough to reply before Cole responded.

  "I'm the guy who's going to steal your prototype," Cole said, shaking Drayton's hand.

  Drayton raised an eyebrow, watching Cole as he took a seat. "You think you can steal my car?"

  "I know I can."

  Drayton casually crossed his left leg over his right and hooked his hand over them. "Is that so? It's not your typical car."

  Cole snorted a laugh. "I would hope it would be a bit more challenging than just slim jimming it. Tell me you have proximity sensors as part of it."

  A sly smile spread across Drayton's face. "With a sensor radius of a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees."

  "Careful, you're giving me a hard-on right now," Cole said with a chuckle.

  Aidan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "No one is going to actually steal a car."

  Cole turned to Aidan. "I thought that was the plan?"

  Aidan looked over to Drayton. "You're going to give him the keys."

  "What?" Cole and Drayton said, in stereo.

  "You're giving him the keys because he's going to give the car back. He's not stealing it. And I'm going to be watching over things so everything goes as planned."

  Cole leaned back in his chair with a hint of a pout. "That's no fun."

  Drayton bit back a smile. "How about we backtrack and you tell me what's going on?"

  Ty chimed in and briefed Drayton on what was happening with Robert. He told him about the counterfeit parts, the threats, and finally told him about the blackmail proposition, and how Robert expected Ty to sabotage the launch of Drayton's new line.

  Drayton turned his attention to Cole. "And why does he think you can steal my car?"

  Cole smiled weakly. "Because I can." He was quieter than usual, somewhat withdrawn since the conversation began. With Cole's usually charged personality, he knew he had skills, but obviously hated broadcasting that his skills had landed him in prison—a constant reminder, as Cole had once told him, of his failure.

  Ty leaned in. "Cole's the guy who worked with me on customizing your rig and he ran your prototype for the test track. He knows cars." He looked over to Cole who sat still, tugged on his beanie then wrung his hands in his lap. He knew what was coming, knew Ty was ready to reveal the one blip in his experience he hated to showcase. "He's at the shop through the employment program of a halfway house."

  Drayton turned to Cole, his focus intense. "So Robert used you because of your past?"

  Cole nodded.

  Drayton shifted his focus to Aidan, a fire burning in his expression like an inferno. "Tell me you plan on nailing that bastard to the wall?"

  A smile slowly spread across Aidan's expression. "Oh, yeah. But we need you for the finer points."

  "I'm in," Drayton said, leaning back in the seat.

  They chatted about the plan and discussed what would and would not work. Drayton was tentatively scheduled to attend a charity event but quickly asked his assistant to cement his attendance. He'd work on spreading the news around that he would be there to preview the prototype to a small audience.

  Cole had risen from his seat sometime during the conversation, opting instead to circle the space, surveying the various items in Drayton's office. He walked over to one of the shelves where a single framed picture sat on display.

  Aidan immediately rose to his side and took the photo from his hand. "Stop being nosy," Ty heard his brother whisper.

  "I can't help it," Cole responded quietly.

  Ty held back a grin, trying to focus on his discussion of new color options for the car line.

  Drayton handed him a file with various swatches inside. "I want something different. Aside from the traditional palette, I want to offer some color packages. Two tones, pin striping, accents, different things like that."

  Ty nodded but his focus kept shifting back to Cole and Aidan. "I'll sketch something up and we'll talk about it."

  Drayton nodded and excused himself, walking over to Cole with Ty following closely behind. Drayton took the picture frame and stared at the image. "People make mistakes in life, but that doesn't define who they are."

  Ty craned his neck and saw the photo. Two men, one who looked like a very young version of Drayton, with his arm over the shoulders of another man with a baseball cap. The smile on both their faces an obvious reflection of their happiness and closeness when the photo was snapped.

  Drayton casually stroked his thumb along the photo before returning it to the shelf. "Robert's using your past to push himself forward. I don't like people getting used and I hate it when people are judged. So if I can help take that conniving son of a bitch down, I'll do everything I can to help."

  Cole looked over to Drayton with a hint of appreciation. "Thanks."

  They parted ways with a plan. Now all that was needed was Robert finding out about the charity appearance for everything to fall into place.

  "I like Drayton," Cole said quietly on their way out.

  Ty bumped Cole's shoulder and smiled. "I'm pretty sure he liked you too. You're hard not to love."

  Cole chuckled. "Let's see if you feel the same way in ten years."

  Ty's heart skipped a beat with the unspoken declaration. Even though Cole didn't say the words, he hinted at them in subtle comments and gestures. Ty closed his eyes and looked up, enjoying the warm sun on his face and the rare hint of a breeze that marked the entrance of a cold front coming in. He opened his eyes when Cole's hand slid into his. He looked over and just wanted to lose himself in whatever mischievous fantasy had triggered that devilish grin on Cole's face. Once they got Robert out of the way, he'd have Cole all to himself without this dark cloud hovering over them. Until then, he'd patiently wait for their weekend together, even though it seemed like an eternity.

  Cole repositioned himself on the sectional between Ty's legs, rubbing the back of his head against Ty's thigh like a cat craving a rub. He loved weekends, and he needed this one more than ever. They'd been under too much stress lately and an unspoken tension between them loomed over their heads with the upcoming plan. His sister had always said it was a mistake to be with someone all day, every day. She swore it was impossible to stay interested. She obviously hadn't spent enough time with Ty. Cole worked all day at the shop and counted down the minutes each night until he would see Ty again in the morning. The weekends together…there just weren't words to describe how much he enjoyed their time together. His term was up in a few days and he couldn't wait to spend every waking minute with Ty.

  He leaned his head to the side and pressed his cheek against Ty'
s warm skin. Damn, he smelled good. He turned and kissed the tender skin on Ty's hip.

  "That tickles," Ty said and shifted.

  Cole groaned when long fingers combed through his hair and reached his scalp. He'd never admit how much Ty's fetish for his hair turned him on. He loved Ty's fingers gripping and pulling, guiding his head where he wanted it.

  Cole licked his lips and smiled. He pulled down Ty's underwear and left a slow, wet trail of kisses along the inside of Ty's hip. Cole shifted again when he heard a moan escape Ty, turning and wrapping his fingers around Ty's already hard shaft. He rubbed his own hard-on against Ty's leg, arching his hips in a seductive glide while sliding his hand up and down Ty's shaft. He bit his lip to hide a grin when another moan escaped. "What do you want?" Cole asked, slowly running his tongue from root to tip of Ty's full arousal.

  Ty threw his head back on the cushion and dug both hands into Cole's dark strands, gripping his hair tightly. Cole closed his eyes and groaned, letting Ty guide him up and down his shaft. He gripped the base of Ty's arousal as he licked and kissed every millimeter of heated skin. He loved Ty's taste and the way his smooth skin slid against his tongue. He glanced up and saw the desire screaming from those whiskey brown eyes. Ty's chest heaved and his breath hissed with each exhale. He looked feral, as if fighting to maintain control.

  That look shot a bolt of primal need throughout Cole's body.

  Cole released Ty's shaft and worked his way up his torso at a slow, sinuous pace, never breaking eye contact. He loved knowing he could rattle Ty's cage, whether it be a stutter or this new, primitive wild spark that glimmered in his eye. In a quick shift of movements, Ty sat up and reached for Cole, pulling him in for a kiss. Not just any kiss, but one that seemed to melt away Cole's need for control and have him kneel at Ty's feet, begging for whatever came next as long as this kiss never ended. He moaned when Ty's fingers twisted in his hair, holding him in place as he feasted on Cole's mouth. He reached out for balance against the assault with shaky hands, fisting the fabric of the throw, hoping to stave off the spike of desire Ty's dominance triggered. Fuck, Ty was hot when he was in control. Cole broke the kiss, gasping for air, screwing his eyes shut, trying to focus.